Mandy Moore: Wild Hope Release Date: June 19, 2007
It has often been said that "the third time is the charm" in Moore's case it may be the fourth or possible fifth time that works for her music career. With the release of her fourth studio album, [she released her first album twice; with two different titles 'So Real' and ' I wanna be with You'], 'Wild Hope' could in fact be the album that really showcases Moore's vocal talent. Appropriately titled, 'Wild Hope' is sure to offer Mandy Moore in a different light than previous albums. The young Hollywood starlet is almost famous for her failed projects more so than her successful ones. Movies such as the flop 'Because I said So' and albums such as 'Coverage' and her self-titled second release all had mediocre success. Now, 'Wild Hope' hopes to shuffle Moore into a more adult contemporary direction alongside the likes of dare I say it, Norah Jones, Fiona Apple, and Jewel. If her first single 'Extraordinary' is any indication for what's in store on the rest of her album, then 'Wild Hope' should prove to be a very lyrically engaging album. 'Extraordinary is getting a lot of air play in radio stations and the music video is in heavy rotation on V-h1 and MTV. In the chorus Moore muses, /now I am ready, now I am ready to be Extraordinary/ and I for one, believe her. Way to go Hilary Fay!
Kelly Clarkson: My December
Release Date: June 26, 2007
We got our first taste of Miss Clarkson when she captured the American Idol title back in 2002. Fast Forward five years later and she is a mega-star, pop icon, well maybe that's a stretch, but she has legions of adoring fans who will attest to her musical genius. Now, Clarkson is about to release her third studio album entitled 'My December' one in which she is hoping will have the same success as her triple platinum sophomore set 'Breakaway' did. Although she should have titled 'My December' as 'My Hope', because I predict this album will not live up to the status or success of its' predecessor.
Clarkson took a lead role in a lot of the writing and producing on this album. With that in mind and if the first single 'Never Again' is a hint of what's to come, then I have my doubts. Although the 'Never Again' is a good song, it's raw and somewhat edgy; it lacks the authentic maturity that artist such as Christina Aguilera and Pink have been able to invoke into their songs both lyrically and musically. 'Never Again' sounds like the B-side of 'Since you Been Gone' it's inflated pop/ wanna be rock. With lyrics like, / I hope the ring he gave you turns your finger green/ I am left to assume that Clarkson is still a fan of school yard taunts and not quite ready to join the ranks of some of her contemporaries. The true pain and anger left over from failed relationships are not effectively showcased in this song; listen to Aguilera's 'Fighter' and you will know what a I've been done wrong song should sound like. Maybe 'My December' will prove to be some of Clarkson's best work; but with a title like the aforementioned, I find it truly hard to get excited about an album with 'December' in the title being released in June, although I am sure it is a metaphor for something, possibly buying shoes or eating ice cream.
3 comments:
I vote for Clarkson over Moore. Both have show a knack for choosing subpar material for their albums, but at least Clarkson has the vocal chops to divert attention from supar lyrics. Kinda like Mariah.
Subpar, I mean.
I can agree; Clarkson does have the vocal talent. But I think on Mandy Moore's latest record will have shown some growth, both lyrically and vocally; whereas Clarkson will give more of the same.
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